Unwanted Bindings
by Kris Wise
Summary: Lured by a promise that a non-force sensitive individual could indeed use the force, a teenage girl leaves her family to seek what she wants most. Ensnared by the Sith she faces many trials and discovers a prophecy about her own future.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, this is Kristina Wise. Welcome to my brainchild that I finally completed this year after a decade of painful re-writes and countless edits. I'll be posting the chapters once a week-ish. This story takes place in the canon Star Wars universe and centers upon main characters that I've created, with some original SW characters making appearances as well. The plot is all my idea, I'm really curious to know who reads this and what you think of it. **

After two long months at the Jedi Academy, Mattie Devis was relieved that her oldest daughter was finally on her way home. This trial period stressed out both parents, because they knew that it would only bring disappointment to Josie. Unlike her younger sister and brother, Josie hadn't shown the slightest affinity to use the force.

Moving the family to Anaxes had brought more problems than it solved. Her husband, Owen, recently took on a security job nearby. That landed them within a significant proximity to the Academy. As soon as they arrived, Josie began a relentless tirade of insisting that she was ready for Jedi Training. It was difficult trying to explain why she might fail.

Mattie was in the kitchen preparing the evening meal, aware that she was cutting the vegetables into precise pieces. She let out a sigh and attempted to reign in her mild obsessive behavior. The last couple of months weighed heavily on her emotions. It didn't help her to know that she couldn't control this situation any more than she could change her own past.

"_I don't understand. How can your midi-chlorian levels have dropped so suddenly?" The Jedi Healer was reviewing her blood analyses. "Your count is far below the normal standards, and the child you carry may be equally affected."_

Although that was many years ago, Mattie was still haunted by the memory of the last battle she fought in as a Jedi Knight. It became dark early on, the night was bitterly cold, and the enemy strategically maneuvered her into a trap. The Sith High Lord engaged her in a vicious lightsaber duel. It only lasted a few moments until she was defeated with a poisoned knife thrust into her gut.

The wound should have been the death of her. When she awoke without any lingering pain, her sister Maegin was there and explained how she'd performed an ancient healing method. It saved her life but the poison had no cure. Mattie would never again be a Jedi. Instead, she became a mother, and the next part of her life began.

Before that fateful night, Mattie had been unaware of her pregnancy. Since then, she promised to take care of her child, whether or not it had a connection to the force. It turned out that her baby girl was borderline, her midi-chlorian count just below what a typical human needed to sense and use the force.

Josie was so quiet, yet so beautiful. A couple years later she gave birth to another girl, Emili, who was bright and cheerful. Then they had Aaron, a strong little boy.

The door chimed and Mattie suddenly dropped what she was doing. She heard the sound of footsteps running towards the door and turned in time to see young Emili zip by. Mattie wiped her hands on a towel and followed her daughter to the door. Josie was enveloped in a hug from her sister. She reciprocated gently, patting her on the back but then pulled away when she'd had enough.

"Please, come in." Mattie welcomed Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker into her home. Although she was used to her husband donning the Jedi ensemble, he was the only Jedi she'd seen in years, with the exception of other family members.

After giving her a brief embrace, both girls wandered off, leaving Mattie with the responsibility of entertaining company. She took the heavy bag full of Josie's things from the Jedi and then invited him into the kitchen.

"Thank you for bringing Josie home." She gestured to a seat and joined him at the table. "That really wasn't necessary."

"It was my pleasure," He drank from the glass of blue milk she poured for him. "She's a smart girl."

For a long moment Mattie hung on to his words, and then realized that he wasn't going to elaborate. She knew that Josie was a bright and intelligent girl, but she wanted to know more about how she did at the Academy.

"Well, good." Mattie couldn't hide what was on her mind. "How did Josie do with training?"

He made eye contact but held off answering her. That was unfair. If Mattie could use the force, than she'd be able to discern his thoughts. Then she'd know if they indicated whether her daughter could use the force or not. Her family had waited almost thirteen years to find out. If Josie couldn't become a Jedi, then Mattie felt as though it was her fault.

"I think it would best if we hold off discussing that until Owen arrives."

"Of course." She returned to the counter, knowing that her husband would be home shortly. Still, a part of her was impatient and wanted to know.

Josie could only handle a few minutes of entertaining her siblings before she'd had enough attention. She told them that she wanted to change for dinner as an excuse to be left alone. Privacy had been a rare occurrence during the last couple of months. At the Jedi Academy, all of the younger students were paired up with room-mates. In between meals, classes, and weekends, she didn't have much time just to herself.

No matter how hard she tried, Josie finally had to face the truth: she didn't have enough midi-chlorians to use the force, and she would never become a Jedi Knight. Two months away from her family were wasted on trying to prove she could be more. All she'd gained was lessons on Jedi history and how to achieve force abilities that were impossible for her. Basically, even though no one would say it, she failed.

For as long as Josie could remember, at least once a year, her family packed up and moved off planet to live somewhere different. Her parents always said that it was due to her dads work transferring him, but Josie didn't believe that, and now that she was almost a teenager, she found the vague secrecy to be insulting.

The other frustrating question that she could never get a straight answer about; was how come she had so few midi-chlorians? Emili and Aaron had both shown signs of force ability. Why not her? Why did it feel like everyone was lying to her? She hoped that while the Jedi Grand Master was in her home that she'd get some answers. Her parents wouldn't lie in front of _him_.

Before leaving her room, she told herself to be calm and act mature. That way her parents would see that she could handle whatever they had to tell her.

It wasn't easy.

Josie was on edge during the entire meal, waiting for someone to change the subject to her training. She sat patiently, hoping that was a way to bring it up without being rude. Her dad was going on and on about his day, something about code issues that she didn't understand. Master Skywalker told a funny joke about the intriguing creatures he'd recently met, but nothing came up to give her an opening.

When dessert was at an end, Josie looked between her parents and Master Skywalker. No one acknowledged her. She sighed and then decided to speak up.

"Excuse me, but can we talk about my Jedi training now?" Everyone at the table was quiet. Even Emili and Aaron showed interest.

Her father gave the Grand Master a meaningful look. Josie knew that by their continued eye contact that they were communicating through the force. It irritated her that they could do that and she couldn't.

"Go help your mother clean the kitchen, and then we'll talk." Her dad said.

Just like that the meal was over. Dad put her younger siblings in their bedrooms, and she quickly washed the dishes. Her heart was beating wildly. This was it. Her fate would be decided tonight. The Jedi Grand Master would give his evaluation and it would be either pass or fail. She tried not to think about the outcome, but at the same time wished that he would come to the same decision that she desperately wanted.

Mom made sure that Josie dried every dish and put them away, as well as wipe down all the kitchen surfaces. Then they returned to the table together. She sat on her hands so she wouldn't fidget. Master Skywalker got right into it.

"Josie and I have already talked about her challenges regarding her Jedi training. I told her we should hold off on a decision until the end of her trial period."

She felt a bit self-conscience when he looked directly at her. Then he talked to her as if she were the only one there.

"After meditating and discussing this matter with some of the other Jedi Masters, I have come to the conclusion that you should not continue with your training. I apologize for the bad news. It brings me no joy to turn away anyone with such ambition."

A load of bricks weighed down on Josie's stomach. What she already assumed was now set into stone. She understood that the Grand Master spoke frankly with her and that he wouldn't tell her anything but the absolute truth. But finally hearing it said aloud upset her more than she'd expected.

"I've heard that you excel in history." He continued. "Perhaps you could supplement your studies with extra courses. It's possible for you to develop a career as a teacher."

Her mom reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. The gesture of comfort didn't help. Nothing anyone could say or do would make this better.

"Why?" Josie couldn't think of any other question that would encompass all of her feelings.

"We already know that you have a very low midi-chlorian count. I've personally attempted to sense your force aura, but I've never been successful."

"Isn't there another way?" In this question was her only chance of hope. If anyone would honestly give her the truth about her capabilities, it was him.

"I'm sorry Josie, but you will never be a Jedi." He appeared sympathetic, but Josie wouldn't believe it. "The life of a Jedi is not easy, it has its rewards, but it comes with many trials. This is not the path for you."

"I don't care how hard it is. There has to be a way!"

Josie felt desperate; she had to get a different answer. No one provided one for her and now she knew that this was final. Her prior conviction of not acting rashly went out the window.

"Tell me why I don't have many mini-chlorians! Emili can already lift objects with her mind and Aaron can read thoughts. How can they do that stuff and I can't?"

"Because you are not them." Her dad answered simply.

That was the stupidest explanation she'd ever heard. There had to be a reason that would make more sense to her. Why were her parents so determined to keep her in the dark about it?

"Well, there's—" Her mom began saying but her dad interrupted.

"No, that's the end of it." Dad raised his hand to silence her before Josie could say anything. "Master Skywalker says that you do not have potential, so you must accept that. Now, I think it's time you went to bed as well."

Josie gave one last pleading look towards the Grand Master to see if he had more to say, and then to her mother, who purposefully didn't meet her gaze. With a great sigh, she reluctantly hugged her parents, thanked Master Skywalker and then walked down the hallway to the room she shared with Emily.

"What did they say?" Her sister was sitting up in bed and looked excited. "Are you going back to the Academy?"

"No, it looks like I'm not going anywhere." She rummaged through her travel bag for some nightclothes, and balled them into her palms.

"Why not?" Emili whined. "You're so smart and you pick up on things really fast."

"That's not good enough." Her teeth ground together angrily. "I'll never be able to use the force."

"Well, I'm sure that there's something you can do."

"You know what, I just don't want to talk about it." Josie was angry, but she didn't want to vent her feelings to her sister. There were so many things that might slip out of her mouth that Emili might take the wrong way. She resented the fact that her sister would leave her in a few years for the Jedi Academy. It wasn't fair, but that didn't mean she needed to spoil it for her. So, she held her tongue.

As she quietly slipped into the bathroom, an idea came to mind. Josie opened the door, paused, then closed it, but remained on the opposite side. As soundlessly as she could manage, she tiptoed down to the end of the hallway and peered around the corner. Her parents and the Grand Master were still sitting at the table. Josie stayed perfectly still, ears attuned as she eavesdropped on the conversation.

All the children had finally gone to bed and Mattie's tolerance was wearing thin. The adults hadn't been fully honest with Josie. No one openly lied, but avoiding telling her the truth about why she couldn't use the force, _that_ needed an explanation. Mattie no longer had any midi-chlorians, and because of the same incident, Josie only had a small amount. It wasn't her daughter's fault, Josie needed to know this so that she could understand.

Her husband disagreed. Owen didn't want their children to be angry at their mother or the Sith. In fact, they both avoided talking about the Jedi rivals at all times. It was as if Mattie never had any connection with them. She was thankful to forget about that part of her past, but denying it was completely different.

After a brief discussion about the matter, she moved on to what was on the front of her mind, the one truly important subject.

"The problem with Josie being unable to use the force is affecting the whole family, not just her." Mattie spoke to her husband, knowing that he didn't want to discuss this, but she pressed on. "Emili is just eleven years old and showing remarkable signs of Jedi potential. You know what that might lead to."

"Aaron is also strong in the force, but that doesn't explain anything." He countered.

"Mattie," Master Skywalker interrupted. "You come from an exceedingly force sensitive family."

"So, could Emili be the one?"

Mattie's blood lineage had been followed carefully and traced back to its dark roots. It was uncomfortable to realize that she had to pass this on to one of her unsuspecting daughters.

"I sincerely doubt it." Skywalker's words immediately calmed her fears. "Emili is strong in the force, yes, and she will be trained, but she is not the one."

"Maybe her children then? Or Josie's? Is that a possibility?"

"That is uncertain. However, that will not prevent others from trying to test Josie." The Grand Master looked at them intensely. "The Sith will stop at nothing. Mattie, you remember that you were uncommonly strong in the force at that age. The Sith took their chances and fought through a multitude of Jedi to capture you. Josie doesn't have the force to protect her, if the Sith come for her, she'll be an easy target."

"You said it yourself, Josie can't use the force. End of story." Owen stated.

Mattie hoped so, but the Grand Master had a distinct look about him, as if he were trying to conceal his emotions on the matter. No, there couldn't be anything more to be said. Her daughter couldn't use the force and never would. He'd already confirmed that it was impossible. Mattie was still trying to come to terms with this, but of course, what she thought was finalized actually wasn't.

"Technically, that's only the beginning of the story."

He looked right at her and Mattie didn't need the force to realize that she wasn't going to like what he had to say next. While he tried to keep eye contact, she turned away a stood up. She ran her fingers through her hair, anxiously working out the knots as she tried to calm herself.

"Go on." She turned around to be polite, but remained standing. "Tell me what you know."

What she heard next was so short and uncomplicated that it was hard to believe any of it to be truth. Master Skywalker explained how he had recently spent a great deal of time away from the Jedi Academy. His objective was picking up on Sith rumors, any intelligence about what projects they were working on. Low level Jedi Knights were mysteriously disappearing without reason, and none of them had shown up again.

"The Sith have been doing experiments on force users, mostly Jedi. When they're finished with their subjects, they have them killed. Eventually, I began finding bodies of the missing people."

He listed the names of the planets he traveled to, the people he talked with and tried to contact. It took a lot of time to gather enough information until he came to a conclusion.

"I have but one explanation: the Sith are developing a method for distributing midi-chlorians."

"That's impossible!" Owen said. "Why would they even try?"

Her husband was right this time. Mattie had also done the research, and there was no way to transfer midi-chlorians. The fact that the Sith were currently conducting an extensive series of tests to make this possible was disturbing. The story got worse from there. During his time learning about the Sith's experiments, the Grand Master stole a copy of their plans, which contained everything in considerable detail.

He suggested that midi-chlorians could be extracted from one individual and injected into another. It was a delicate procedure, one that required an accuracy that the Sith hadn't perfected. Skywalker was particularly concerned about this, and began to make his own, safer attempts. Those had all been successful.

"Master, why are you telling us about this?" Mattie finally asked. "You would have no need to accomplish what the Sith have done unless you knew someone that needed to use the force."

"Are you suggesting that you're doing this for our daughter?" Owen asked skeptically.

"No." He simply replied.

Mattie felt that now was a good time to sit back down, and was glad she did.

"Right now I'm in the midst of collecting the right amount of midi-chlorians to give you, Mattie."


	2. Chapter 2

Josie abandoned her spot in the hallway and quietly slipped back into her bedroom. She crawled into bed, not caring that she'd forgot to change clothes. With her face buried into the pillow, she cried in frustration. Since Emili was still awake in the bed next to hers, she tried not to sob too loudly. Her sister would be concerned and Josie didn't want to talk about it.

Everything in her life was out of her control! Worse yet, no one cared. No one wanted to help her. She was stuck with being the family disappointment. It didn't matter what kind of example she set for her siblings, they'd eventually leave her behind, and her parents would focus their attention on them.

The day had been long and Josie was worn out from all that she'd been through. With the recent conversations replaying in her head, she let her emotions flow until she was finally able to sleep.

When the sound of dishes from the kitchen woke her up in the morning, Josie lay in bed for a few minutes to collect herself. Although she had every right to be angry with Master Skywalker for keeping secrets from her, she knew that there would be no use in admitting to what she'd heard. Everyone seemed content to decide her life without her.

"Are you okay?" Emili asked, seeing that she was lying awake in bed.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She lied.

"Well, mom said we need to have a family meeting. So, you know what that means?"

"Gees…"

"Start packing."

After everything she'd heard the night before, Josie expected changes were forthcoming. She threw off the covers and met the others in the kitchen. It didn't surprise her when dad informed them that they were moving. However, it was interesting to find out that they would remain on Anaxes. That still wouldn't make it a more desirable transition.

It didn't take the kids very long to pack up their belongings. They'd gotten used to the frequent moves due to their dad's job in security. It sent him to different locations nearly every year. Long before lunch could be thought of, Josie and Emili had their room stripped bare and were given permission to walk to the park.

For a while, Josie indulged her sister by playing around. At the center of the park was a wooded structure designed like a castle. This had been their favorite place to run around. Not all planets they lived on provided her with such a resourceful getaway. They decided to play the hiding game. Emili began counting while Josie ran off to find some small area to wedge herself into and wait.

This was a good distraction from all the space junk her mind was trying to process. Her last two months at the Jedi Academy were a waste of everyone's time. The Grand Jedi Master had turned out to be lying to her. He'd found a way for her to use the force, he just never intended for her to have it. This made her seethe.

What was she supposed to do now? Go back to life as normal? Pretend that she wasn't different from her siblings? They'd go on to take Jedi training, leaving her the only non-Jedi of the family. It was depressing even to think about.

She sat on the cold ground and stared out of the wooden panes hiding her from sight. Autumn on this planet was beautiful. There were four seasons and the plant life at this stage was dying, the trees displaying bright colors before shedding their leaves. Her eyes focused in on what she thought was a shadow at first, but now she saw that it was someone wearing a long black cloak.

"Josie?" Her sister was close by, called out her name in barely more than a whisper.

"I'm down here."

Soft footsteps sounded above her and then Emili slid into the place she hid.

"What, you really couldn't find me?" Josie teased, wondering why her sister gave up so easily.

"No, but I saw something strange and now I don't feel right." Emili pointed straight towards where she could see the solitary person. "He showed up a minute ago and he's watching us."

There was no denying that he looked suspicious. He appeared to be dressed similar to the Jedi attire, but instead of using warm shades of brown and tan, he wore complete black.

"I don't have a good feeling about this. I think he's Sith. I can _feel_ it." Emili looked at her, her usual relaxed and cheerful expression replaced with fear. "We need to get out of here."

As she said this, the man began walking their way.

"Did you bring a comlink?" Josie asked, forming a plan in her mind.

"Of course. But look, he's getting closer! We _need_ to go!"

"You need to go." Before she could argue, Josie directed her out of their hiding place. "Com dad and tell him what you saw. I'll stay and try to stop him."

"He might kill you!"

"Emili, just shut up and run."

One day, Josie hoped that her sister could understand that she meant to protect her. Her own destiny was of no importance to anyone, but she knew that Emili would become a great Jedi someday. If this Sith meant to harm anyone, then she didn't want Emili to get caught up in it. Soon, her dad would come and find out what happened to her. She swallowed hard and met the mysterious man head on.

Several minutes passed by as the High Sith Lord remained partially obscured by a large tree. He revealed himself at last, grabbing the attention from both girls, who stopped playing their game. The one he was interested in kept an eye on him, though he could barely see where she sat in hiding. A moment later the younger one ran off while the other turned to face him.

He kept his face blank as his plan began to take shape. It was good that she was coming to him, she was curious to the point of taking risks.

"What do you want?" She called out, keeping her distance.

He knew that her hesitation was born out of fear of the Sith. She came from a home guided by Jedi morals. He was already familiar with people like this and knew that he had to choose his words carefully—especially with children. He needed to gain her trust.

"My name is Oomis, do you know who I am?"

"You're a Sith."

A warm smile spread across his face. Her answer was simple, so obvious that it amused him. He kindly corrected her, saying that he was the High Sith Lord, leader of all the Sith. She asked why he was there and Oomis could tell that she was calculating how much longer until someone came to her rescue.

"I'd like to extend an invitation to come train as a Sith."

His words humored her, and she let out a mirth of nervous laughter.

"I can't use the force."

"Why my help, you can."

Over the course of Josie's life, Darth Oomis had followed the rumors of her condition with interest. Ever since her mother lost the ability to use the force, he'd assumed she had as well. All of this was confirmed many years ago, it was what spurred him on with his experiments with midi-chlorians.

He'd put a lot of years into this one goal. It cost him a great deal of credits and relying on favors to get to the place he was now. Soon, it would be too late. The whole endeavor would fail if this last part did not work. He needed Josie young, when she felt vulnerable, hopeless, all so he could present her with the impossible.

"If I'm to understand this correctly, you attended the Jedi Academy for two months. Were they able to help you?"

The girl shook her head. He could sense her confusion and that his words only made her angry, but not at him.

"The Sith have a training academy of our own. We give you all the tools you need to properly harness your potential." He stared down his nose, her gaze darted from him to the trees behind. Although she was uncomfortable, she was listening and was interested in what he said. "I can give you the ability to use the force, manipulate it, and become more powerful than any Jedi. With that power, you can fulfill all your wildest dreams."

This wasn't the first time he'd given this speech to a young force-sensitive. He had Sith all over the galaxy searching for those who might benefit his order. Most younglings were unsure of what their mysterious powers were. They were all too eager to learn more.

"I'm willing to help you achieve greatness. I only ask that you give up any prejudices you have against the Sith."

"I'm not prejudiced against the Sith!" She countered.

Her outburst towards his acquisition was exactly what he anticipated from her, and he pointed out why her defense was wrong.

"Then why are you afraid of me? Your hands are sweating."

He watched her reaction. Josie balled her fists into her pockets and stood up straight with an air of confidence she obviously didn't have. She finally looked up at him, her brown eyes alight from the sun.

"I don't get why you're baiting me. It's impossible for me to use the force. I've tried to find a way and there is none. I'd do anything for it!"

Darth Oomis had an answer ready and explained the basics of the procedure, giving just enough details so Josie would understand, but not enough to frighten her. He told her of the broad research, dozens of tests and how he'd recently seen positive results. Now that he saw success in the recent, minor cases, he was ready to do work on a larger scale.

"So, why me? There must be hundreds of others in the galaxy that would pay for what you're offering to me."

"The Sith do not seek out wealth for selfish gain. Your pedigree is one that would serve you well as a Sith. I am confident that you would excel through Sith training. However, you would need to disregard the Jedi ethics you've become accustomed to."

That meant that she would have to leave behind everything she'd ever known. It wasn't just about disobeying her parents, it was betraying the very things they held dearly. If she wanted the force so badly as to take that first step to the dark side, he would have her wrapped right around his finger forever.

"I'm giving you the choice. Walk away and no one will ever know that we talked. Or you can come with me and see how vast the galaxy is as a Sith."

He watched Josie look down at her feet for a minute. What he was presenting her with was hard to swallow. Throughout his years, he'd observed that it was harder for the Jedi trainees to leave that life behind. Josie's mind was polluted with the "good" ways. There had never been a shadow of darkness in her life.

"I have no future with the Jedi, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to use the force. I want the force, it's just…"

"What are you afraid of?"

"The dark side. I've been told—"

"Forget what you've been told," he said as he cut her off. "The Sith use our emotions, even fear, to our advantage. It makes us stronger. Only the force will set you free."

"Then I want that." Josie looked back up at him. The hesitation was apparent in her uneasy features. "When would I start?"

"Right now. This is your first test." Darth Oomis pointed over her shoulder. She turned to see a speeder entering the park. "Your family is coming. You must tell them what you plan to do."

There was a good chance that Mattie was going to pass out from fright. When Emili ran into the room, completely out of breath from running, she could only gasp and exhale a few words.

"Sith…here…saw…Josie."

Owen moved at lightning speed, jumping over the dining room table and dashed into their bedroom. Mattie had to make herself move. With trembling hands she fetched Emili a cool glass of water and put a hand on her shoulder to sooth her. The distress Mattie felt pulsing through herself came to peak when Owen reappeared with his lightsaber in hand.

"Come on, we're getting our daughter back."

"Stay with Aaron, you'll be safe here." She told Emili.

It took every bit of strength within her to stay focused. As they flew down the street, pushing the speeder to its limits, Mattie was struggling not to fear the worst. Josie had a lot of her father in her, although shy, she was highly intelligent.

They drove into the park and immediately saw the two figures conversing. It was impossible for her to tell the identity of the Sith, the hood of his long cloak covered his face. On the other hand, Owen could sense him through the force.

"It's _him_." Owen said through gritted teeth.

"Oh no, Lord help us." Mattie covered her face with both hands, and then realized that she couldn't afford to be weak. The speeder hardly came to a stop before they were both out of their seats, ready for confrontation.

"What the Hell do you think you're trying to do here?" Owen walked right up to the Sith Lord. Mattie followed close behind. "I demand that you let our daughter go at once!"

"Perhaps you misunderstand the situation at hand." His voice was deep and with dark resolve. "Josie is not being forced against her will, in fact, she'd rather come with me than you."

"Honey, will you please listen to me?" Mattie watched her daughter reluctantly peer from behind Darth Oomis. "When I was pregnant with you, a Sith stabbed me with a poisoned blade. It almost killed us both. We barely survived, but that's why you can't use the force. The Sith poisoned you and tried to kill you."

"Ah, while we're revealing secrets." Oomis looked directly at Mattie, lowering his hood to show off his stark bald head and dark facial tattoos. "Let's not forget the era in which a young girl named Mattie Grant was tutored in the ways of the dark side."

"What?" Josie's question came out in a high pitch, and there was genuine shock in her wide eyes.

"Mattie loved keeping secrets from her family; always sneaking around to find time to study the dark side."

"Enough!"

With defeat, Mattie felt her eyes slowly close. A couple of tears came rolling down her warm cheeks. When she looked at her daughter again, she was glaring back at her in anger. Mattie knew that they should have told her these things a long time ago, and now it looked like they'd been hiding secrets from her. There were some things that couldn't be easily explained.

"If you try to leave this planet with my daughter, I will kill you." Owen threatened.

"Is that so?"

Mattie took a couple steps backwards, seeing that Owen was reaching for his lightsaber. If there was anything she could do to back him up, she would. In this case it was better to stay out of the way. She couldn't recall the last time she'd seen him publically use his lightsaber. Its blue blade shot forward, tilted towards the Sith, challenging him.

_Don't do this!_ She wanted to warn Owen. _This isn't an even match, you'll lose. He'll kill you._ There was no way to tell him to lower his weapon. Darth Oomis let his cloak fall from his shoulders, his own red blade ignited. With a great clash, Mattie blinked and saw the sabers locked together.

Without realizing that she'd continued walking backwards, Mattie bumped into the speeder. This was a safe distance away from the action, but she still wished there was something she could do. Josie stood opposite her, staying behind Darth Oomis. Mattie waved her hands, catching Josie's attention, and then motioned her to come join her. Josie looked very afraid, but stood her ground and shook her head no.

"Stop!" Josie yelled, getting everyone's attention. "Don't fight!"

The action came to a pause, both sabers remained lit, but they listened to Josie. With a feeling of hope and relief, Mattie realized that Josie's outburst probably just saved Owen's life.

"I'm going with Darth Oomis to become a Sith. He's going to give me what I need to use the force. He _wants_ me to have power, which is more than you've done for me."

"We've already tried everything." Owen reasoned.

"Stop lying to me!" Josie screamed, tears rolled down her face as she let her emotions get the better of her. "I've done things your way my whole life. I would've kept doing it if you hadn't hid so much from me. Now I can't trust you. I'm old enough to decide what I want."

Owen slowly lowered his lightsaber, then deactivated it and put it away. He carefully walked away from Darth Oomis and joined Mattie at the speeder. He put a comforting arm around her, knowing that there was nothing more they could do.

"I hope you understand what you're leaving behind, Josie. We will always love and accept you. However, when you want to come back home, you'll find the price of leaving the Sith to be greater than you can imagine."

Josie's stony expression was stuck in Mattie's mind as Owen motioned her into the speeder. They made their way back home, all the while Mattie wondered what Darth Oomis did to persuade her daughter.

They sat in the idle speeder for a few minutes, gathering their thoughts. Owen reached out for her hand and held it tenderly. Mattie felt a knot forming in her stomach, she knew what Josie was getting herself into, and it would take some time for her to discover that for herself.

"I think it would be best to tell the children the truth."

Mattie sat up straight. She hadn't even thought about the impact this would have on the whole family. Emili wasn't just losing a sister, she was losing her best friend. That was her greatest concern. Telling them the truth? How would they even have that conversation?

"I'm scared, Owen. What if she doesn't come back?"

"Josie is her mother's daughter, give it time and she'll come home."


	3. Chapter 3

The Sith space cruiser _Abyss,_ entered hyperspace and traveled along the Hydian Way. It would be a long flight, one that Darth Oomis was accustomed to, but he doubted that Josie was. Her current home on the planet of Anaxes was near Corruscant. That was a citywide planet and the center of the entire universe. The business Darth Oomis dealt with frequently brought him there.

They were now well on their way towards Yavin; a small, sparsely populated jungle moon. It was once home to the Jedi Training Academy, but no longer. In an attempt to take the Jedi by surprise, the Sith staged an attack by using a spy to smuggle and set bombs. The mission was supposed to wipe out most of the young trainees, but the spy gave misleading information.

That spy had been Josie's mother.

Back then Darth Oomis was a pupil to the prior Sith High Lord, Darth Rell. His Master had used an unusual method for seducing Mattie Grant to the dark side. Rell preyed on her weaknesses and twisted her mind. It was all for naught; he never managed to change her core morals. Before setting out to dispose of her, he made sure to destroy her reputation.

Darth Rell would have succeeded in killing Mattie if her sister hadn't intervened. It was an action that Oomis also found himself wrapped up in. One that ultimately concluded with Mattie living and he became the new High Lord.

According to his data, Mattie's eldest daughter Josie was now twelve years old, nearly a teenager but in most ways still a child. She was highly dependent on her parents and was too sheltered to form her own opinions. This was the perfect time for her thoughts to be molded into a different pattern that could be used to his benefit. He would extend more time to invest in her training. Josie would be his personal responsibility.

He was unsure how Josie would respond to a new environment. Her family moved from planet to planet many times, but he did not know how exposed to the different communities Josie had been. The galaxy was a strange and dark place. Josie couldn't know what she signed up for, she was irrational, deciding to go against everything she'd been taught, and she was uncertain about it all.

After some time, Darth Oomis took the turbo lift to the lower deck, he turned left and found Josie where he'd left her in the main hold. She sat at the propulsion systems maintenance console. He'd told her not to touch anything, so she was staring at the foreign lights and symbols. As he came near, she turned suddenly and sat up straight.

"The flight to Yavin will be long." He informed the girl. "You'll want to eat and sleep before we arrive. The galley and spare bunks are down the hallway."

He expected Josie to act immediately and follow his instructions. She did stand to her feet, but she didn't move as she remained silent, eyes glazed over. He wondered where her mind was. It wouldn't take long for her life to be turned upside down. Until then, she could only speculate about what she'd gotten herself into. Finally, she spoke her mind.

"Is it hard to become a Sith?"

The question was clear, but it came from a girl who didn't know the first thing about his kind. The Sith relied on the dark side of the force, which the Jedi assumed to mean "evil." The Sith were direct and their ways were subjective.

"Becoming a Sith will be your sole objective. It will be tiresome, tedious, and overwhelming. There is no use for family or friends. You can only trust yourself and obey the Sith Masters."

Josie nodded. He watched as her mind tried to process this information.

"Are there just as many Sith students as there are Jedi students?"

"More." He motioned for her to follow him and she did.

It was early into the flight and he decided that Josie needed to keep busy for a while. He led her to the galley and made her a simple meal. Besides asking a few questions, Josie was quiet and he didn't add much to the conversation. They were left to silence as they ate, and when finished, he produced an item from his robes and slid it across the table.

"What's that?" Josie asked, picking it up.

"It's a book. Similar to a data pad, you can read from it but the words are written on many paper pages."

"Isn't that wasteful?"

He felt compelled to laugh, but didn't want to insult her for being oblivious.

"No, this holds more value to me." He waited for her to open the book and see what was written inside. "That is for you to read and study as we travel."

As he cleaned up, he glanced over at Josie to monitor her turning the pages of his book. The tomb had always been his possession. It was difficult to give away, but he had little use for it, and the girl had everything yet to learn.

"Did you write all this?"

He peered over her shoulder to see what page she was on. He did recognize his handwriting. There were many fine lines scrolled with his thoughts about the rising Sith Order. When he was just an apprentice, he'd written down some controversial thoughts. At the time he was curious about why the modern Sith had moved away from Darth Bane's rule of two.

"Most of that is knowledge I've obtained, some personal opinions, and quotes as well."

Darth Oomis retired her to a spare room before returning to the cockpit to check on the flight details. He was eager to arrive on Yavin IV, to get the procedure going and find out if Josie was as special as he hoped she would be. If nothing else, her curious mind would be a great asset.

Most non-force users relied on technology far too much. They were quick learning tools, but also expensive and unreliable. A simple virus or skilled slicer could alter its information and render it useless. Josie would soon get used to living without. Oomis's Sith Order thrived by using old data and merging it with newer methods.

Darkness was a mystery that must be sought out, a path that must be traveled; there was knowledge there that every Sith must find. Throughout all of time, there had been secrets that the Jedi tried to hide from the universe. The Sith had fought for them, dedicating their lives to learning and keeping that information alive.

Even the legend of Darth Blazes.

No matter what young Josie proved herself to be, Darth Oomis had already set his mind on training her. He believed that she would become an influential and fearsome heir. Teaching her the Sith ways would not be an easy task. The High Lord held back so much experience in hopes that he'd find a worthy apprentice. This girl was his last chance. Age would soon have an effect on him and then his reign would end. Josie would have to live up to everything he required the Sith Order to become.

Standing outside in the early morning humidity, Darth Kyves met with some of his fellow Sith Masters. They were instructed by the High Lord to be ready for his arrival during this pre-dawn hour. Kyves blinked away the blurriness in his eyes caused by a long night of physical exertion. A few paces away, he saw Lady Xeno doing the same.

The ship appeared in the grey sky and descended upon them. It landed in the clearing and a moment later two figures emerged. When they saw the High Lord, each of the Masters fell to their knees with heads bowed.

"Arise, my friends." At Darth Oomis's command, they stood.

This time Kyves blinked hard to confirm what he was looking at. Beside the High Lord was his charge, the girl was barely a teenager, but she was not what Kyves expected. The top of her head barely came to his shoulder. The early sunlight brought out the highlights in her cinnamon-brown hair, and showed off just how pale-skinned she was.

"Josie Devis, these are a few of the Sith Masters that you will become acquainted with." The High Lord went on the introduce them all by name and told her what their primary role at the Sith academy was.

He could tell that Josie was uneasy in the presence of such a diverse crowd. Anyone looking in on this small group would feel that way. Lady Xeno was a striking Noorian, her honey-colored skin and well placed black tattoos accentuated her features. The strongest of which were her golden striped eyes.

Kyves himself knew that he easily stood out, even among those of his own species: the Chagrian. He was born with blue skin, but over time he devoted his body to the Sith Order by engulfing it entirely of black and red tattoos. In addition, he stood eight inches taller than the High Lord. Long horns protruded from the top of his head and another two came from the overgrowth along his face and rested upon his chest.

The other two Sith were Darth Perigo and a medic named Fust. Kyves was unsure why Perigo was in attendance; he was hardly ever seen off the planet Tangren. That was an unpopulated planet where prisoners of the Sith were sent to and never seen again.

The group of Sith followed behind Darth Oomis and Josie. He pointed out certain rooms along the way. Kyves and the others remained silent as they walked through the damp hallways. The tour ended a few floors up as they entered the deficient medical room. A few empty bacta tanks stood at the far end where some beds were pushed out of the way.

Fust instructed Josie to sit down in a long, deeply reclining chair. It was the kind used for any needed medical procedures, and it had hidden restraints for if a patient couldn't lay still. Josie sat upright. She appeared nervous, eyes darting from Fust to the High Lord.

"Before we begin the midi-chlorian transfer, I must first extract some blood from you. This will be no different than a typical human blood withdrawal." He explained that it was normal to feel anxious and then lightheaded afterwards.

"How long will it take?" Josie asked as the medic wrapped a tourniquet around her left arm.

"Only a few minutes." He cleaned her arm and carefully inserted the sterile needle into a vein.

"I forgot I don't like needles." Josie's voice raised in pitch, going from scared to panicking.

"Just think how worth it this will be." Fust was doing well in calming the girl while keeping things moving right along. "When we start giving you the midi-chlorians, there is so much you'll be able to do. Your count right now is seven thousand, but we will be raising it to nearly fifteen thousand."

"That's a lot!" She exclaimed.

She wasn't wrong. That number would be the highest of any current living force-user. The High Lord's rivaled the Grand Jedi Master by only a few hundred, and Kyves' own was a thousand less than that. It took a lot of knowledge and years of experience to develop a truly powerful force wielder. The amount of midi-chlorians the user had aided little in this, but a higher number did make a difference.

While the blood was being withdrawn, Kyves stood to the side, not interested in the details of this operation. He had enough going on to occupy his mind. His time would be better spent doing other things rather than witness this minor medical breakthrough. Darth Kyves had already seen this on a smaller scale and he didn't care about a simple, too young girl being able to use the force. The High Lord might believe that this girl had the makings of fate, be he couldn't see it.

When the blood bag was filled, Fust gave the girl a protein pack to consume while he set up for the second stage of the operation. Her hands shook as she brought the food to her lips. Kyves could tell that the girl wasn't doing well anymore. When her other arm was being prepared, she withdrew and brought it up to her chest.

"It's okay Josie, this won't take much longer. You'll be done soon." The words didn't help.

"No. I don't think I can do this." Josie blurted out. "I'm not ready."

"Not ready for what?" The High Lord asked her harshly.

"I can't be a Sith, I'm too scared! Please, please don't make me do this." She pleaded with the High Lord, tears forming in her eyes. With hesitation, she got to her feet and realized she had nowhere to go. "I just want to go home."

There was a moment where no one moved or made a sound. Everyone looked to the High Lord to see what his orders would be. He turned to Kyves and sent him a force nudge, he immediately felt compelled to stand by the door and did so. The other two Sith took steps backward, leaving Josie and the High Lord in the center of the room.

"You've already given verbal consent to this procedure. I suggest you follow through with it, lest this becomes more difficult for you."

"I take it back. I don't want to do this!" Josie lost control of her composure. She sat down against the wall and began sobbing into her hands.

Kyves felt even more irritated that his time was being wasted for this, to watch this young girl, who wasn't even old enough to handle the choices she made. He wanted to slap her and tell her that she didn't have a choice about the matter anymore. What the High Lord did instead, he appreciated.

"If you don't get off this floor right now, you're going to become very unhappy."

His words had the opposite reaction. She buried her head between her knees and sobbed louder. Following through with his word, the High Lord reached under her arms and picked her up off the ground effortlessly. With more interest now, Kyves enjoyed hearing the girl scream and attempt to wrestle free, but she didn't have the strength to fight a Sith. She was made to sit back in the chair. He had Fust secure the restraints while Oomis held her down.

They gathered back around her as the other needle was put into her arm. To her credit, she managed to struggle against her restraints quite well, but nothing could stop what was about to happen. After a few minutes, she quieted down, her eyes glazed over as she stared up at the ceiling. For a moment, Kyves wondered if she was having a bad reaction, although she was still responsive.

"Josie, are you still with us?" Fust asked, tapping on the side of her pale face.

"I hate you." She directed the remark at the High Lord and then looked back to a spot on the ceiling.

"Strong emotions will be most useful."

His comment was ignored and Kyves felt his earlier boredom return. This whole ordeal was bound to disappoint and then he would have to deal with the aftermath. His Master may just kill the girl if she didn't prove to be of use. That idea was fine by him. For now, he expected to suffer for a short, albeit annoying test of his sanity.

Josie felt as though she were dealing with the effects of a sedative. Everyone was quiet as she lay immobilized. Her mind was relaxed and the tears had passed. It wasn't so much that she came to terms with what was being forced upon her, but she was now devising a plan to get herself out of this mess.

A feeling of clarity and strength wakened her from the stupor. This had been what she wanted, but not like this. Not by threats and force. She breathed deeply, a tingling sensation spreading to her extremities. This was amazing! Did all force users feel like this _all_ the time? It was exhilarating and she felt capable of doing anything.

This was not how she wanted it, she reminded herself. The Sith wanted to control her and she didn't want that. Still, how the blazes could she run away from them? She'd have to deceive them, make them believe that she'd changed her mind again. It wouldn't take long to find a way off this planet. That's what she'd do, and then she'd plot her revenge on the Sith who forced her into this.

"Revenge is a strong emotion of the Sith." She recognized the High Lord's voice. "Drink deep of your hatred, it will serve you well."

Josie did take a deep breathe. With her eyes closed, she could feel the power flowing through her. Now she wanted to try using it, but knew that being strapped down was a problem.

_If I'm going to have this, then I'll use it to my own benefit._ The touch on her arm brought Josie back to the present.

"What are you doing?" She snapped.

"We're done. I'm going to release your restraints."

She nodded and felt the relief of increased blood flow as the tight bindings were removed. They let her stand up to test her legs. She massaged her wrists, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. All the while she was considering an escape plan, and wondering if she could find a way to run away that very night. There were no established cities on Yavin IV, so she'd have to steal a ship. They weren't too far from the hanger. Maybe with her new abilities to spur her on, she might be able to outrun the others.

The biggest problem in her plan was that she didn't know the first thing about flying spacecraft. That's where she might fail. Nevertheless, this had to be done, and now. She couldn't stay here; if she refused the Sith training, they would make her life miserable.

"W-where's the fresher?" Josie crossed her arms and leaned forward, forcing herself to shiver, hoping to look like she might be ill.

"You know that I can read your mind?" Oomis was stern.

"Please, I just need a minute."

Josie began to feel claustrophobic with four people staring at her. They were waiting to see what she would do and the pressure was getting to her. She didn't want to be here but couldn't find a way out.

"Look at me when you're talking."

Feeling like a scolded child, Josie met the High Lord's gaze and opened her mouth to form a question, but the words got lost on the way out. His icy expression turned into astonishment. The other Sith who caught a look at her face shifted uncomfortably on the spot. Josie could feel their shock and uncertainty, not just see it, as if that was the force alerting her.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Her voice rose in pitch.

In response, Oomis handed her a mirror face down. She gave him a puzzled look and then turned it other and looked down at her face. Her typically deep brown eyes were now a dark violet. The mirror fell from her hands and shattered on the ground. Both hands covered her mouth and she screamed into them.

It was all over for her. She'd heard the story before. It was only recently when her mother decided that she was ready to hear her family history. Her lineage could be traced back half a millennium to the last great time of darkness for the Jedi, long before the clone wars era purge.

The most powerful and feared Sith Lady in all of history was Darth Blazes. Josie was her direct descendent. Before her death, she made a prophecy that one day a female heir of her blood would rise to power. They would know who this person was because she would have purple eyes.

Her mother assumed it was neither of her daughters, but told Josie that because she couldn't use the force, there was a slight chance of it being her. Of course, her mom assured her that this was a slim chance and they'd never really know. One day it could be one of Josie's daughters, or granddaughters.

"Do you know what this means?" The High Lord asked her.

"Yes." It made sense to her now. The reason Master Skywalker wouldn't help her to use the force was because he was afraid of her. All she wanted was to be accepted by the Jedi. Instead she stood with the Sith and this discovery. "I don't want this!"

"You were chosen a long time ago. You must know that you cannot deny your destiny." He brought something from his pocket and presented it to her. "This is yours now."

"What is it?" Josie was skeptical. It was a small glass diamond with a red glow emanating from its foggy center.

"The amulet of Darth Blazes. Only her heir has the ability to use it."

"I don't want it." She made sure to look at the High Lord directly. "I just want to go home."

"This is your home, your family, your life. You were meant to come here and train to become a Sith. Disobedience will not be permitted."

He held the amulet closer to her, but she didn't dare take it from him. His hand shot out with force speed, grabbing onto her wrist and pulling it forward. She screamed and tried pulling away with all her might. Her hand unwillingly reached the amulet and Darth Oomis's hand clasped around hers. She continued to struggle until they both felt it move.

From between the sandwiched hands a vapor arose, it slowly hovered in the air and then moved towards Josie. Oomis let her hand go and she backed into the wall. Her eyes went wide in horror as the vapor followed her. It slowly drifted up her nose and did not reappear with the following exhale.

Josie could feel the vapor enter in, it seared through her body and she opened her mouth to scream. No sound came out despite how much she wanted to escape the pain. Her toes curled as her spine curved. Josie no longer had control of her herself. Her body reacted to this foreign pain without the brain's ability to process it. She saw merciful black spots fill her vision and felt the relief of unconsciousness fell over her.


	4. Chapter 4

Not long after the young girl collapsed, The High Lord commanded the Sith Masters to meet with him in his quarters. They had many questions regarding the reaction Josie was having. They all felt the same, powerful presence when the amulet opened. Darth Oomis had not foreseen that she would act so strangely and then suffer from a grand mal seizure. He did not want the ordeal to be widely known, so a private area was required for such a delicate matter.

Inside of his bedchamber, Darth Oomis instructed Lady Xeno to prepare Josie for when she'd wake. He expected it wouldn't be long. The other three Sith were waiting for him to clarify what was transpiring. Without any pretense, he turned on a holo projector and read from the ancient writing.

"Therefore, I have determined that once the heir of Darth Blazes has been found, she will present a great threat to the galaxy. Only by secluding her from those who could teach her the ways of the force and by limiting her power will peace be preserved.

"In the days to come we should follow the bloodline of Darth Blazes not with fear, but caution. It is a simple matter to send a child into exile. Raising her without knowledge of the prophecy is imperative. What limited data the Jedi withhold is all that anyone should have. The girl with purple eyes will possess the most treacherous power."

He left the glowing words hanging there and expanded upon their meaning. This was but a fraction from a report to advise the High Jedi Council, written less than a hundred years after the death of Darth Blazes.

"As you'll remember, Darth Rell meant to obliterate the entire lineage of Darth Blazes for fear of her power. That was his downfall. Sith fear no one! This girl, she will bring about the ultimate downfall of the Jedi Order."

"How can you be sure of this?" Asked Kyves, always the skeptic.

Lady Xeno reappeared, closing the door behind her. She quietly went to stand next to Kyves.

"Josie is an empty vessel and she is ours to fill. We have cut her off from everything she loves, she is weak and afraid. We will train her both faster and harder than any other student. She will be deprived of sleep and food until she is exhausted and frail. If she survives, she will be ready to be molded."

"You suggest we all are to train her?" Darth Parigo's undertone was of disgust.

"I will oversee her training, but she will also learn from the other Sith Masters. She can attend group lessons, but in my absence, Darth Kyves will take on her training responsibilities."

"My Lord?" Kyves looked up at him, the words and their obvious meaning were slow to sink in. "I already have an apprentice."

"Then you will train two and the girl is to be given your highest priority. Will that be a problem?"

"No, of course not, Master. I only wonder what your expectations are." Kyves was having difficulty speaking. "Where will you be?"

He could've asked his question better, but Darth Oomis knew that he was correct in thinking that he was going somewhere. They were all wondering why he would tell them his plans for training Josie and then announce his absence.

"I have business to take care of on Corruscant. I will do more research into the prophetess Darth Blazes. It's time that the Sith locate and acquire her holocron."

There was more than one way to learn about the past. In the last decade he had already found old data containing vital information he needed. Now he would accelerate his efforts.

"When Josie awakens, what can we expect from her?" Again this was Kyves, trying to appear on top of things.

"I would expect her to be a far different person than she was." He knew that whatever the vapor inside of Blazes amulet was, it changed Josie, and it transformed her. "This is now the heir of Darth Blazes, her chosen descendent. We will find out the nature of her emotions soon enough."

Behind the closed door he could sense a stirring in the room. Josie was waking up to a different life, and Oomis could feel her confusion. He reiterated the rules that he demanded to be followed.

"Do not tell her more than what she already knows about the prophecy." Then, speaking directing to Darth Kyves, he gave further information. "I will leave immediately so that you may begin her training. Perhaps Jarv can do the tedious chore of showing her around tonight."

He dismissed Darth Perigo and Lady Xeno. The silence only hung in the air for a moment before Kyves could hold in is thoughts no longer.

"Master, I wonder if Josie may be too unstable for the training you wish for her. She has too much fear and hesitation."

"If you find that to be holding her back, then you have my permission to break her." He didn't miss the flicker in his eyes. "Condition her first, leave no spare time between studies. What you expect of Jarv, you should expect more so from Josie."

Breathing slowly in the first moments of waking, a sensation of cool menthol filled her lungs. It was uncomfortable and she sat up in the large bed, unable to see a thing in the dark. She stared into the room and fear crept into her mind as she struggled to remember how she got there. It hurt her head, the pounding made her lie back down onto the silk sheets.

The Sith High Lord offered to train her, he'd taken her with him to Yavin and had already begun teaching her through his book. She sat up again and patted down her legs. In a large side pocket she traced the outline of the book, and then lifted her hand to her neck. She shuddered when her fingers wrapped around the large glass diamond.

Everything came back to her at once. It was her! She'd been identified as the heir of Darth Blazes. The amulet in her hand once belonged to her. When it opened, she was filled with the essence of her power. A voice, perhaps it was Blazes, or her spirit, it spoke to her. It told her that great days where now in store for her.

The name she was given was just out of reach in her memory. It was hot, like fire and coals. Burning, smoldering, no, _incinerate_. That was it! Like Blazes, she too would bring flames of hatred. She liked the vision of anything standing in her way being incinerated. She would be called Cinis as she began this new life.

There were people close by, she could hear the deep voices and followed the sound over to a door. Cinis leaned in and pressed her ear against it, finding that her sense of hearing was stronger than before.

They were talking about training someone, she assumed that they meant her. After all, that's what she was promised. It sounded like they were making plans, she overheard the word 'unstable' and frowned. Cinis felt very confident in herself right now, she was ready for a challenge and knew that it would begin the minute she stepped outside that room.

Without continuing to hold back, she fumbled around for the controls and the door slide aside. Her appearance held the attention of the two figures. Her eyes adjusted to the light and she recognized Darth Kyves and High Lord Oomis. Not entirely sure what to do or say, she bowed.

"It's good to see you awake." The High Lord didn't give her any clue as to how she got to be there. "Are you well?"

"Yeah, I think so. I feel great, actually. What's going on?" She tried to sound curious and not anxious that she truly didn't know the answer.

"No need to put on a brave face. Tell me, what happened when the amulet of Darth Blazes opened?"

Cinis was shocked and didn't know how to answer. The truth would make her vulnerable, and she already felt like he could see through her like an x-ray. He wouldn't understand what she'd been through. It was hard enough even for her to grasp what happened.

With her mouth agape, she struggled for the right words. There seemed to be a block of time erased from her mind. Everything before that was a haze of meaningless events. What happened now was important. She retraced her steps to see if she forgot anything; it helped her to explain what the High Lord wanted to know.

"Well, I was tired from the procedure, and you saw that I had purple eyes. I know that means that I'm the heir of Darth Blazes. You gave me her amulet and I passed out." She wasn't sure why that came about, but pressed on with what she did know. "There was a voice in my head, but it wasn't mine. It told me who I was, and I knew that it was Darth Blazes talking to me."

"How do you know this?" Kyves questioned her.

"That's who the voice said it was. Blazes told me that I was chosen and I had a lot of training ahead of me. One day, she said, I'll become a Sith legend. Firstly, I needed training before I'd be ready for greatness." She shifted on the spot. "Blazes told me that I would be called Cinis from now on."

"Very well then, Cinis, you have taken your first step into the infinite shadows of the dark side of the force." His words made her eager to plunge in, she felt ready for anything. "Darth Kyves will begin your training immediately. I will be absent for some time. Upon my return, I will take over and assess your progress."

"Okay." This whole time she'd been avoiding looking in Darth Kyves direction. His large horns, red and black tattoos and ever dominating glare made her nervous. Now she was expected to learn from him? How? It looked like he wanted to murder her. She couldn't help but wonder if he'd really try. Or maybe he just always looked like that.

A low volume chime came from the door and Darth Kyves went to answer it. Cinis exhaled relief that she was no longer in the spotlight. In came a boy who looked just a little older than she was. He was much taller than her and had tanned skin. Much like Kyves, he had two horns and lethorns, perhaps they were a similar race.

"This is Darth Kyves apprentice, Jarv. You will be training alongside him." The High Lord introduced her with the new name she was becoming accustomed to, it fit with how she felt.

She wasn't sure how to respond. Shaking his hand as if they'd become buddies didn't seem right at all. They might be in competition with each other, his seniority far bested hers. He was superior to her in every way. She nodded her head in recognition, thinking it was her best attempt at acting neutral.

"I want you to show Cinis the academy." Darth Kyves instructed him. "Training will resume in the morning."

Suddenly she found herself away from the Sith Masters and on a tour of this new place. Outside every window they passed, she saw thick and large trees. They spread out as far as she could see, the jungle explained the high humidity she'd been feeling. There weren't any prominent high points or other structures. This Sith training academy must have been the only building for miles.

Everything felt rather strange to Cinis, all of her senses were sensitive and she knew it was the force within her. The hairs on her skin felt the temperature change as they descended to the lower levels. She could smell a meal cooking long before they reached the kitchens. Her eyes examined more detail and saw further into the dark places.

"How long have you been training here?" Cinis asked, trying to make some kind of conversation with Jarv. So far, he hadn't spoken about anything besides rules and the Sith academy.

"Since I was about four."

"Really? Do you remember much from before then?"

"Uh, yeah, some. Nothing that's important."

"What about your parents or your home? Do you ever miss them?" She was curious because there was a small, no, miniscule part of her mind that was already missing a few things.

"No. My parents are dead and it's none of your business." He turned to face her directly. In the last light of day shining through the hall windows, she saw how angry he was. "It doesn't matter, got it? Everything means nothing except what you learn here."

"What do you mean?" Cinis folded her arms, ready to get defensive.

"Whatever life you had or think you had, is gone now. You might as well pretend that everyone you knew is dead, everywhere you went, was blown up." His red eyes glowed stronger, more menacing.

"Well, I'm not here against my will," She felt a stab of pain in the side of her head, but ignored it. "I left a _lot_ behind and I don't know what's ahead."

"Get used to it. Training to become a Sith is highly unpredictable. You'll always have to be on guard. If you ever think you can trust someone, that's the minute they'll betray you."

Cinis rolled her eyes. This conversation was below her. Jarv didn't appreciate her attitude and actually slapped her across the face.

"Hey!" Her hand felt where he'd hit her. It hadn't been too hard, but it still hurt. No one had ever physically assaulted her before.

"What are you going to do about it?" He challenged. "Hit me back? What's going to happen then? I'll beat the force out of you. So don't act disrespectful, not to me, not anyone."

"Fine. I'll watch my back." She wasn't an idiot, of course she would be at risk. The new ones always were. That's why she was anxious to start training, to begin learning and absorb all that she could.

"There's more to it than that. I don't know what you think it'll be like, training with Darth Kyves, but that should be your primary concern. He'll expect you to perform flawlessly."

He started walking again and she followed him. They went up a few flights of stairs and he pointed down the corridor.

"This is where a lot of the students sleep. There's two sleeping mats to a room and the doors don't lock."

"It's really hot up here." Cinis observed, her skin feeling sticky.

"Always is, but don't try to snag one of the rooms further down. An older student or Sith will bust you for it."

He gave Cinis a minute to look inside one of the rooms. There wasn't much to see, just a couple mats, clothing, and nothing personal. On their way to the dining hall he told her that Darth Kyves would expect her to arrive each morning before sunrise at the base of the woods. Cinis was apprehensive about the prospect of waking up so early every day.

"If you arrive after Master Kyves does, he'll make you do extra drills, or worse, tech you a new force power and use _you_ as the target. Any questions so far? No? Good, because I'm not going to coddle you."

"Actually, I do have a question, and I don't think you'll mind too much to answer." Cinis didn't like the way Jarv was so harsh, so she continued before he could stop her. "As apprentices to Darth Kyves, are we allies or enemies?"

He gave her an odd look, maybe it meant that he thought she should know the answer, or maybe he didn't know himself.

"I have been training to become a Sith almost as long as you've been alive."

His comment had her doing fast math and she came up with an important historical event. She brushed it off as something to think about later.

"Consider everyone you meet here to be a threat, including me."

_Everyone is a threat, got it._ Cinis followed Jarv as he continued down a long hallway and into the dining hall. She was smart enough to know not to follow him from there. Instead, she waited a minute before she picked up a tray and stood in line for the evening meal.

The newness of the academy was both exciting and intimidating. There was so much room for failure and little room for success. Looking around the room, she saw that many of the other faces were older than hers, that she would be among the youngest. Cinis took a deep breath. According to Jarv, _this_ was where her life began.

An unexpected chime sounded from the door. It was late, too late for anyone to call. His apprentice had already given him a full report after showing around the new girl, Cinis. He wasted no time in opening the door and his heart stopped beating for a minute.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, surprised and a little concerned.

"I had to see you." Xeno slipped past him and into the room.

He trailed behind her into the bedroom, standing at the door while Xeno sat stiffly at the end of his bed. Her hair was carefully arranged into a knot at the back of her head. It accented her striped eyes, she wore golden eye make-up and her lips were crimson. She was a glorious sight. That she would come to him like this, when he couldn't fully savor her beauty, it was torturous.

"Doesn't the High Lord want to see you tonight?"

"I was on my way."

"Then why are you defying his command?" He crossed his arms across his chest, restraining himself from going to her.

"I need your opinion," Her eyes stared meaningfully at his own. "Do you think the High Lord has weakened himself in search of Blazes heir?"

If Darth Kyves had been quick to answer, he would've fallen into her trap and told her that he did believe that. Her question however, was just mere speculation, and she didn't admit to owning it herself.

"The High Lord has spent a great deal of time in solitude. It would be unwise to assume he hasn't been productive."

"Then what's he up too?" She stood and reached out for him. "I'm sick of Oomis's old games. I need your help, your strength, if I must keep doing his will."

"You may have it, but not at this moment. Our affair must remain a secret or it will cost us everything." He carefully removed her hand from his arm. "I dare not underestimate the High Lord."

"Fine, continue to blindly follow him. Know this, if he doesn't show us his strength soon, more Sith will see that his reign hasn't brought the order any closer to gaining control of the galaxy."

"Oh, Xeno, don't think that you can sway me so easily. You're upset and your true emotions are beginning to show."

"Don't minimize my feelings!" Her voice was low, a warning in her tone. "After all, you're the one afraid to cross him."

She held her head high with a smile as she strolled around him into the next room. Kyves grabbed her arm, his hand wrapping around it so tightly that she couldn't move.

"If you think that my squeezing your arm hurts, the next time you insult me, I'll do the same to your throat." He released her. Without a word, she left his presence, leaving Kyves with a mindful of probabilities.

The confrontation left him fuming. His mind was unable to turn off now that he needed rest. He hated knowing that Xeno was spending the night in someone else's arms, that she enjoyed it and he was left with nothing.

The responsibility that he had now, he did not want. Cinis, a young, untrained mind. The very thought of her made him bitter, but perhaps by training her, he had an opportunity to shape her in a way he could find useful. Jarv was already a great asset, but perhaps together the two would be a team that raised their master to power.


	5. Chapter 5

Below the thick forest canopy, where the trees and undergrowth gave off humidity from the morning sun, Cinis waited for her Master to arrive for the morning lesson. She was crouched over an expanse of red dirt, eyes narrowed as she concentrated. Her finger pointed at the ground and a line appeared. The force was at her command as she created shapes and arranged sticks and leafs to better see everything.

"Impressive."

The voice didn't startle her, by now she was used to him appearing without a sound.

"Did you recreate this all from memory?" Darth Kyves asked, unfolding his arms and studying her work.

"Yes, I've mapped out every level of the academy in my mind and, well, there it is." Cinis shrugged, thinking that it wasn't the best use of her talents. She hadn't been in training for very long. Each day was longer and more exhausting. In her minimal spare time her body needed to recharge, and while she did, she memorized many things.

"Level seven. You have the wrong number of rooms on the east side, there's supposed to be six."

With a flick of her wrist, the sticks and dirt cleared, leaving an empty space between them. Cinis adjusted her weight from one foot to the other, making sure that her posture showed alertness and respect to the Sith Master. After the first few days of intense conditioning and drills, Cinis caught on fast to his expectations.

Her instructions were to do exactly what Master Kyves told her. Anything less was failure. Without question, she committed each lesson to memory. With each new lesson came a new trial, and it was nearly impossible to keep up. Running until her legs were numb and working her way through countless exercises until her body nearly gave up, this was what she looked forward to after training with Kyves.

Those who couldn't handle the training were exploited by the other students. They sought out ways to release tension when the Masters weren't looking, ways that resulted in both injury and death. So far, Cinis managed to avoid such encounters, but had the feeling that she was always being watched.

"Tell me why you're here?" He asked casually. The only other time he'd asked such a question was on her first day of Sith training. It was as much a test of her character as it was now to see how she'd progressed.

"I'm here at the Sith academy to learn about the force and how to use it."

"Is that all? You can gain knowledge anywhere."

"I left behind everything to come here and learn wisdom from Sith Masters. I'll give up more if that's what it takes." Her eyesight blurred for a second as she thought about the truth behind her words.

"And what do you have to offer?"

The truth was that Cinis was drained of mental energy and didn't feel like she was worth much, right now. She was nobody, just the unfortunate subject of a prophecy she knew little about. Her focus at this time was only to keep up and learn as much as she could. Power came at a price, and if it meant submitting to a spiteful Master, she'd gladly endure it.

"I offer up myself. I will fully submit to the will of the dark side."

It was hours past curfew. Cinis couldn't sleep, so she snuck out of her room to go for a walk. She planned to go outside and enjoy the night scenery, the night sky always looked spectacular when Yavin's eighth red moon wasn't in the way. Something else caught her attention. Trusting her instincts, she wondered along through the lower levels of the academy, not searching for anything in particular.

As she walked casually through a hallway, a door opened to her left. Lady Xeno emerged; her wavy blond hair was a mess and one of her shirt sleeves hung off her shoulder. She kept her warm gaze fixed on Darth Kyves, who was standing inside the room, only wearing shorts and a bathrobe.

Had she been able to gather her wits, Cinis might have run away without getting caught. But she was dumbfounded by the sight. Her jaw was probably hanging as she watched the two exchange a notably passionate kiss before…

"Cinis!" Darth Kyves saw her. She was in trouble now, she could tell by the murderous look he was giving her. "Come here, now."

For a long second, she debated with the idea of making a run for it, but she would have to face him again all too soon. As Lady Xeno quietly left the vicinity, Cinis walked toward Darth Kyves with small, slow steps. When she was close to the door, he roughly grabbed her arm, yanked her inside his room and closed the door.

"What are you doing?" He demanded to know.

She couldn't bring herself to answer him, his naked torso was covered in the same black and red tattoos as his face and arms. He towered over her, his long lethorns hanging before her face, making her cringe. Before she could answer his question, he continued ranting.

"I know that this is not the first time you've been snooping around, acting like you own this place, and it will stop tonight. If I ever catch you following me again…"

"I didn't know this is where your room was. And I'm not following you, I swear!"

His nakedness was disturbing to her, so she tried to look at anything but him. They were definitely in his living quarters. There were multiple screens inlaid to one wall, all of them were off. There was also a side room, she could see into it, and the bed appeared untidy.

Darth Kyves placed himself between her and what she was looking at. Then his hand sailed across her face. She covered the spot, it stung badly and her eyes welled up with tears.

"Do not interrupt me." He snarled. "You will speak of this night to no one. Now, get out of here."

His blood red eyes burnt into hers, and she immediately moved towards the door. The moment he turned away she paused, slightly curious about what he might be hiding from her. She wasn't exactly sure what kind of scene she'd accidently interrupted, but she had a few ideas. Wanting to ask about the intrusion, she took a courageous step forward.

She hadn't moved more than two steps when a dozen strands of force lightning hit her. Her body convulsed, she fell to the ground and had no control over her own movements. For the next few seconds she spasmed as more of the lightning engulfed her body. When it was over she was left lying on the floor, her stunned muscles on fire and her body trembling.

"Get out!" His voice was so quiet that she barely heard it over the ringing in her ears.

With a great effort, she picked herself up from the ground and stumbled out the door.

Down the passage she staggered. With one hand against the wall, she tried to keep her balance, she thought she was seeing double, and everything was a blur. When she got to the staircase, she saw a figure coming towards her, and she moved aside so they could pass.

"Cinis, what did you do?" The voice whispered, though not with concern.

She squinted, trying to make out who it was. It was Jarvon, it made no sense to her that he was also wondering around this late.

"Get out of my way."

"You're going to fall over.

As he said this, she swayed forward. If not for Jarvon's open and ready arms, she would've collapsed. He kept her on her feet, and she was glad that she didn't pass out. The lightning made her weak and so tired. Jarvon put an arm around her waist and helped her get up the stairs. Although she appreciated the help, it also made herself feel pathetic and vulnerable.

"My Master takes his anger out on the wrong people sometimes. It's best to steer clear of his wrath if you can." Jarvon said, making a guess as to why she was feeble. "He doesn't know what to stop."

Cinis blinking, trying to see straight. They were almost at her room, and she brushed off Jarvon's hand from her waist. He was concerned for her, but she couldn't put a finger on why he should be. They were in competition against each other, caring and helping was not their agenda. Manipulation and deceit were. Her only conclusion was that he was messing with you head.

"I don't need your help." Her voice was raspy, but stern. "Go away."

She didn't wait to hear a response, she turned away from him and walked in the opposite direction. Back in her room, she quickly stepped into the refresher to expel the contents of her stomach. After cleaning the sweat off her face, she tiptoed into the sleeping area. No one had noticed her absence or return. Shy lay down on her mat. Despite the aching muscles, the closed her eyes tightly and tried to sleep.

The Coruscant sky lanes were bustling with never ceasing, always moving air traffic. Speeding along with other countless inhabitants, Darth Oomis navigated his V-wing during the mid-day commute. Hundreds of ships few around him; cruisers, yachts, shuttles, and carriers. They contained thousands of humans and aliens, but inside his closed air-speeder was silence. The hum of its engine was the only sound to accompany his mission.

His mind was not as amiable. Although it had been nearly a month since he had discovered Josie Devis to be Darth Blazes chosen descendant, the implication of what she might be capable of was unsettling. Doubt surrounded the validity of the prophecy. Much of the knowledge he possessed was unconfirmed. The only information with concrete truth would be found within Blazes own holocron. Its contents would provide invaluable insight about her life events.

The details that Darth Oomis sought after had led him in a maze of false leads. He'd been to many planets, searching records and libraries, all in pursuit of the history surrounded Darth Blazes. The most he could find were historian's notes. They alluded to war threats from an impossibly powerful woman. However, the descriptions of Darth Blazes character and identity varied, and so, therefore did the stories about her.

Here on Coruscant, at the very center of the universe, he was now taking a different approach to seeking out the desired information. While this was a significant undertaking, today he had other business to attend to. At the capital district center, he lowered his speeder onto a landing platform. Two security guards were waiting for him, they remained silent as they escorted him inside the building.

Security left him when they reached the conference room. As he stepped inside, visual sensors indicated his presence and the lights came on automatically. He was the first to arrive for the meeting, thus the room was unattended, each chair at the long table was empty.

Darth Oomis walked around the room and observed the view through a large window out onto the skyline. His intention for being early was purely to take advantage of the crystal clear holo connection. Inside a pocket of his robes, he removed his com unit and took a seat at the head of the table. A few seconds later, the voice of Darth Kyves answered.

"My Lord, I trust that your journey is going well."

Although his subordinate could not see his expression through the voice only com, Darth Oomis scowled. He despised pleasantries, knowing that Kyves would overexert his manners only when it benefited him. In this case, he knew how eager Kyves was to have him return to the Yavin base academy, and Oomis was in no disposition to be rushed.

"Never mind that," He snapped. "I wish to know about Cinis."

"The girl is exceedingly talented as you so believed." Kyves paused, no doubt to ponder over what he considered the High Lord would want to hear. "The abilities that I have observed in her are vast but undeveloped. Her mind is tainted by her background and she has difficulties grasping Sith logic."

"Then you must give her that which she is lacking, experience."

"Should I test her with the Mind-Dwellers Folly?"

"Yes, and take note of her weaknesses. Do not falter to exploit her failures, this is how she will learn hatred and in her anger she will begin to understand the Sith ways."

"I will do as you say, my Master."

He could imagine a smile spreading across his face. Kyves had his way with the students, toying with their emotions until they were putty in his hands. There was no hesitation that Kyves was already instilling thoughts and feelings into Cinis that would be useful to him.

It was a cold morning as Cinis waited for Darth Kyves, she was impatient, getting suspicious when the Sith Master did not arrive. The sun rose behind her and began to emit warm rays. Her clothes were already soaked through and the heat only fueled her discomfort as she sweat. The river was on the other side of the temple and Cinis longed to cool off in it. She was so tired and sore from the previous night. She dared not disobey Darth Kyves, so she continued to wait, sinking to the ground and leaned her head against a tree.

Cinis awoke suddenly and looked around. In the distance she saw a cloaked figure walking towards her. She picked herself off the ground and stood ready, without looking skyward, she tried to determine how long she'd napped. The shadows were still relatively long, the temperature hot and her backside soaked through. It was hard to tell.

There was something different about the way Darth Kyves arrives. His pace was slow and he kept his face covered until he loomed over her. He lowered his hood, and his red eyes burned into hers. Without a warning, his lightsaber blazed to like and he brought it up towards her throat.

She flinched as the saber scorched her skin but it did no further damage. The tree at her back steadied her as she grasped at the bark. With what little bravery she felt, she kept eye contact.

"Go ahead and cry like the little girl you are and I will end you."

Cinis blinked, her rapidly beating heart betrayed her fear. All she could do was concentrate on breathing. She dared not move, any little change in movement and the blade would kill her. The smell of her burning flesh was almost too much and she mentally fought to control herself.

A moment later the saber blade vanished. Cinis exhaled, feeling relief with the immediate danger gone.

Darth Kyves tilted his head back and laughed deeply. Thoughts of running away from this mad man crossed her mind, but Cinis knew it wasn't possible. With great care, she lifted a shaking hand to feel where the blade had burned her throat. The area was sensitive and it felt like a fire remained.

"Go back inside, I have more lessons to bestow upon you."

There was a lump in her throat preventing her from saying anything, so she simply obeyed. Cinis briefly checked over her shoulder and saw that Kyves was following her. The burning of her throat continued and she hoped that he hadn't inflicted permanent damage. Perhaps this was to ensure that she remained silent about certain events she witnessed the night before. It that was so, then Cinis was sure that he'd made his point.

She returned to the academy with Darth Kyves and he directed her down the stairs until they were in the pitch black emptiness of the basement. A glowrod penetrated the dark, it's light hit the walls and revealed nothing save for a dozen stone pillars.

"I'll make this simple since you currently lack the ability to speak. Have you been down here before?"

The thought of lying didn't even cross her mind. Cinis nodded, recognizing the strange chill she only felt in this area of the large temple.

"Do you know what lives here?"

The question was perplexing. Cinis expanded her awareness only to find that she and Darth Kyves were the only living beings there. She shook her head, now afraid that he was about to give her a real test.

"It is time we see how much you're actually willing to sacrifice to become a Sith." He took hold of her right hand and ran a sharp blade across her palm.

A guttural noise escaped her lips as she tried to refrain from screaming. Her throat burned and it hurt far more to swallow the pain. Blood dripped from her hand, and when it was released, she made a fist. The light went out and a second later she heard the old stone doorway close. She ran over to the door and attempted to open it. Any force technique she tried did nothing to make it budge.

She was alone in the darkness and felt like the spot she stood on would soon become her tomb. Silent tears ran down her face as she succumbed to self-pity. Why was Kyves being so mean to her? Hadn't she sworn to keep his secrets and paid for knowing them dearly? What was she supposed to do now?

_Survive._

_ Go home._

_ Run. Hide._

_ Follow your destiny!_

The voices sounded to be right in front of her, but even as Cinis reached out her arm, she knew that nothing was there.

_Josie!_ A familiar voice caused her neck hairs to rise. _Please,_ it sobbed, _help me!_

A faint light showed the outline of a girl she knew too well. Cinis blinked, sure that it was a hallucination. When she opened her eyes, she could see a pale imitation of her sister laying on her side, struggling to cross the room.

"I can't help you." Cinis called out, then, as an afterthought, "because you're not real."

_No, I'm real. Please help, I don't know what they told you, but they're going to kill me if we stay here._

"Fine then!" Cinis shouted, the action hurt, but she hopped that Darth Kyves could hear her. "Go ahead and die!"

Her sister screamed and writhed on the ground, she was in obvious pain but Cinis couldn't see what was causing it. Another figure appeared suddenly, his features were distorted as he came running towards her. Caught by surprise, Cinis ran away from the presence of her father. She didn't make it far before she hit a pillar. The impact on her face and forehead sent her to the ground in a daze.

_How dare you dishonor your family by questioning our reality._

Her father raised a fist and hit her jaw. The impact had her tasting blood. Cinis got to her feet, but she was met by another apparition.

_It's all your fault!_ Her brother pointed a finger at her. _You let this happen!_

"Shut up!" Cinis demanded. She stretched out her arms and sent out the most powerfully force wave she was capable of. It seemed to work until something, or rather, someone took hold of her wrist.

_I still believe there is hope for you._

Cinis didn't bother with a reply as she pulled away from the image of her mother. She placed bother hands on the top of her head and tried to rationalize the dream. It wasn't possible for her to be asleep, this had to be a test of the mind and nothing in the physical sense was really there.

"You are all dead." She announced with authority and they vanished. What she was left with was clarity of her chosen path.


End file.
